Data Scientist (ANZSCO 224115)
On the Core Skills Occupation List
From the official Home Affairs skilled occupation lists, as at 2026-08-12. Lists change at each government update — always confirm on the official page before acting.
Which lists is Data Scientist on?
CSOL — Core Skills Occupation List. The employer-sponsorship list — occupations on the CSOL can be nominated for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme 186.
Visas this occupation can access
Being on a list makes the occupation nominatable for these visas — each visa still has its own requirements (points, age, English, a positive skills assessment, and for sponsored visas a willing employer or state).
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) — Temporary, employer sponsored · all occupations for the 482
- Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) — Permanent, employer sponsored · all occupations for the 186
Processing priority
Data Scientist isn't in any of the ANZSCO groups that Directions 121 and 122 list for the priority sectors. Some of the first group is defined by the job rather than the code: a nominated position directly involved in agriculture, aquaculture or fishing, one that directly supports mining, oil and gas or coal production, or one related to defence. Otherwise the application is processed after the priority sectors. For the permanent and provisional skilled visas, applicants who were in Australia when they applied come next, then those who applied from outside Australia. For the 482, Specialist Skills stream applications come before both.
Priority changes the order in which lodged applications are looked at, not whether they are granted. Who is invited to apply through SkillSelect is decided separately. See all 202 occupations in the priority sectors.
Skills assessment
A positive skills assessment for Data Scientist comes from:
- Australian Computer Society Incorporated (ACS) (official site) · our guide to the ACS process
What the assessment actually involves
ACS assesses Data Scientist under the same Migration Skills Assessment framework as the rest of this family. Its own duty text applies analytical techniques and scientific procedures to datasets by creating algorithms, and explicitly names building and deploying machine learning and artificial intelligence frameworks — the clearest line ACS itself draws against Data Analyst, which is framed around descriptive and statistical work rather than algorithm-building. General Skills and RPL work the same way as elsewhere in this family; RPL again needs six years' experience without a relevant degree, plus two Project Reports and two Professional Currency evidence items.
Where these applications come unstuck
Like Data Analyst, this code carries CSOL only — no MLTSSL, no state nomination, no independent 189, no 485. Reach is 186 and 482 only. The other real risk is nominating Data Scientist when the actual role sits closer to Data Analyst's descriptive, statistical work: because both codes share the same visa reach, mis-nominating doesn't open or close a visa route, but it does change whether ACS accepts the nomination against the duties described in the reference letter.
An honest read on this pathway
Data Scientist is one of the most-searched titles on the whole occupation list, and the natural assumption of a points-tested pathway is wrong for this code specifically — it sits on CSOL only, not the higher MLTSSL, with no independent 189, no state nomination and no post-study 485. Employer sponsorship through the Skills in Demand visa or the Employer Nomination Scheme is the only route the published data shows, so the realistic plan for this occupation runs through finding a sponsoring employer first, not through accumulating points or applying for a state-nominated visa that this code does not currently reach.
Assembling an ACS application? ACS wants employment evidence that lines up exactly with the dates and duties you claim elsewhere. The Skilled Visa EOI Organiser keeps your claims consistent across the skills assessment, EOI and Form 80 — inconsistencies between them are a common cause of delay.
We've also written a full pathway guide for this occupation: read the Data Scientist pathway guide.
Talk it through with a registered agent
Whether nominating Data Scientist is your best route depends on your points, experience evidence and timing — exactly what a MARA-registered agent works through in an initial consultation. Describe your situation once through Migratio and compare real consultation quotes from registered agents, free.
Related occupations
All skilled occupations · Points calculator · Skilled visa agents